Stoker apparatus



J 1944- R. A. FORESYMAN ,0

STOKER APPARATUS I I Filed Feb. 6, 1943 2 Sheets-Shet 2 F: I

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I "I 'I' I WI 1' "3. I M I 55 H L; v I n Q i i WITNESSES j INVENTOR W ma I :3 h g 3, Roasn'r R.F3nesmm ATTORNEY Patented June 20, 1944 STOKERAPPARATUS I Robert A. Foresman, ProspectPark, Pa.,"assignor toWestinghouse Electric& Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa acorporation 7 of Pennsylvania,

Application February 6, 1943, Serial N8.'474,915

6 Claims. (01.: 74-586).

adjusting mechanism for such secondary rams.

Another object of the invention is to provide secondary ramstroke-adjusting mechanism capable of infinite adjustments between zerostroke and maximum stroke.

These and other objects are effected by the invention as will beapparent from the following description and claims taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a secondary ram and thedriving means therefor, together with stroke-adjusting mechanismembodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a, transverse sectional view taken along the line II--II ofFig. 3, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, but with thecrosshead shown in elevation; and,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through thestroke-adjusting mechanism of Fig. 1. p

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, there is shown a stoker Iinclined downwardly and rearwardly'from the furnacefront wall II andcomprising a plurality of spacedapart rows of tuyeres l2, providingtherebetween spaced retorts l3, each adapted to have fuel'fed theretofrom the hopper [4 through the ram bOX' l5 by reciprocation of the ramI6. Reciprocatory motion is imparted to the ram through the gear box l8,receiving power from any suitable source (not shown) and operatingthrough the eccentric l9 and the connecting rod 20.

A conventional secondary ram structure 22 positioned within the retort[3 provides for movement of fuel rearwardly therealong, the secondaryram having 'reciprocatory motion imparted thereto by the driving rod 23positioned below the bottom of the retort. A pair of driv-' tudinallytherein.

ing links 24 provides for transmission of motion from the connecting rod20 to the driving rod 23 through the novel stroke-adjusting mechanism 25comprising the present invention.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, there are shown a pair of spacedparallel housing members 21 and 33 are clamped between the bosses 29 andthe.

structural members 32 and serveto bracethe structure.

I The spaced housing members 21 and 28 have grooves 36 formed in theiropposed faces for the reception of guide members 31 slidable longi- Eachguide member .31 is provided with a circular recess 38 for reception ofthe cylindrical trunnions 39 of the crosshead 4l.'|, with the resultthat the crosshead is supported for pivotal movement about thelongitudinal axes of the trunnions 39 and for bodily sliding movementlongitudinally of the grooves 36 in the housing members 21 and 28. I

v The driving links 24 are provided at their rearward ends with circularopenings 42 adapted to receive the trunnions 39 of thecrosshead with thedrivinglinks positioned between the crosshead proper and the guidemembers 31. It will be. apparent that this arrangement provides forreciprocation of the crosshead 40 upon reception of the connecting rod20 and the associated driving links 24. The forward ends of the drivinglinks are provided with elongated slots 43 slidably receiving a headedpin 44 carried by the depending'arm 45 of the connecting rod 20, theelongated slot and pin providing a lost motion connection providing forlesser travel of the drivingf links v24 than of the connecting rod 23.

'The'cr'osshead 40 is provided with a centrallylocated cylindrical bore41 adapted to slidably receive an externally-threaded portion'48 at theforward or upper end of the driving rod 23.

It will be apparent that the construction described above providesaself-aligning structure resulting in free sliding action of thecrosshead with respect to the driving rod 23, regardless of minormisalignments of the housing members and associated. parts.

, Sliding movement of the crosshead with respect to the threaded portionof the driving rod is limited in an upward or forward direction by asplit key collar 49 provided with a radial, inwardly-extending flange 50adapted to be po-, sitioned within a circumferential groove 5! formedadjacent'the end of the driving rod, the retaining collar 52 embracingthe segments of the split key collar 49 and retaining them in assembledrelation with respect to the end of the driving rod 23.

Sliding movement of thercrosshead 49 with respect to the rod 23' in arearward direction is limited by the nut 55, threadedlymounted on thethreaded portion 48 of the driving rod and movable therealongwhenrotated with respect thereto.

The threaded portion 48 of the driving rod 23 is of such length thatwith the nut 55 moved rearwardly as far as possible, the latter will beout of engagement with the crosshead throughout reciprocation of thelatter. It will be apparent that, by moving the nut 55 forwardly, forexample, to the position illustrated in Fig. .3, the crosshead 40 willengage the nut during its rearward movement and acting through the nutwill impart rearward motion to the driving rod 2-3. During the returnstroke of the crosshead it will first slide upon the threaded portion ofthe driving rod until it engages the split key collar 49, whereuponduring the remainder of its return stroke it will move the driving rodforwardly. If the nut 55 is adjusted toward the forward end of thethreaded portion of the driving rod so that the crosshead 46 engagesboth the split key collar 49 and the nut 55 simultaneously, the entiremotion of the crosshead will be imparted to the driving rod to givemaximum movement to the secondary ram structure. Thus it will beapparent that the motion of the secondary ram may be given an infinitenumber of adjustments ranging from zero to maximum stroke.

To provide for convenient adjustment of the nut from a point that isreadily accessible, there is formed about the periphery of the nut 55 'arow of teeth 56, forming, in effect, a gear. A driving gear 51 and anidler gear 58 are mounted in a gear casing 56 which also encloses thegear teeth 56 formed on the nut, the idler gear 58 meshing with thedriving gear 51 and the teeth 56 on the nut, with the result thatrotation of the driving gear results in corresponding rotation of thenut.

In order to prevent rotation of the gear easing and its enclosed trainwith respect to the threaded portion of the driving rod 23, while at thesam time permitting longitudinal travel of the casing and train, thereis provided a shaft 6| which is square in cross section and is slidablyreceived through a square opening 62 extending through the driving gear51, axially thereof. The shaft BI is provided with trunnions 63 and 64rotatably mounted in bearings 65 formed in spacer plates 66 secured toopposite ends of the housing members 21 and 28 by bolts 61. It will benoted that the spacer plates 66 are provided with a second set ofbearings 66 concentrically opposed to the bearings 65, with respect tothe vertical centerline of the mechanism, whereby, if desired, thesquare shaft 6| may be mounted at the other side of the verticalcenterline.

The forward end of the square shaft 6| is connected, through a universaljoint 69, with an operating rod extending forwardly and terminating withsuitable manual means, such as the handwheel ll, located .at a pointreadily accessible to an operator during operation of the stoker.

While the invention has been shown in "but one form, it will be obviousto those skilled .in the art that it is not so limited, but issusceptible of various changes and modifications without departing fromthe spirit "thereof, and it is desired, therefore, that only suchlimitations shall be placed thereon as are specifically set forth in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Stoker mechanism comprising a ram-Ope ating member including anexternally threaded portion adjacent one end: a nut inthreadedengagement with said threaded portion and P O- viding an abutment; meansproviding Spaced p allel guides at opposite sides of the threadedportion; a crosshead closely surrounding said threaded portion andslidable longitudinally thereon into and out of engagement with theabutment on said nut; guide blocks supporting said crosshead and beingslidably supported by the spaced parallel guides; means providing a stopon the ram-operating member at the side of the crosshead opposite to thenut, whereby movement of said "crosshead along said operating member islimited in one direction by said stop and in the other direction by thenut; means for imparting reciprocatory motion to said crosshead; andmeans whereby the nut maybe rotated on the threaded portion to vary itsposition longitudinally of the ram-'operatingrmember.

2.. Stoker mechanism comprising a ram-operating member having a threadedportion; a nut on said portion and providing an abutment;

spaced parallel guides at opposite sides of the threaded portion; guideblocks slidably supportedlby said guides; a crosshead supported by saidguide blocks and having an opening therethrough slidably receiving thethreaded portion; a stop member carried by the ram-operating member atthe side of crosshead .opposite the nut, wherebymovement of thecrosshead along said operating member is limited in one direction bysaid stop and in the opposite direction by said nut; means wherebyreciprocatory motion may be imparted to said crosshead; and-means forrotating the nut on the threaded portion to vary its positionlongitudinally of the ram-operating member.

3. Structure as specified in claim '2, wherein the means for rotatingthe nut comprises teeth formed about the periphery of the nut, a housingenclosing the toothed portion of said nut, atrainof meshing gears withinsaid housing with the last gear of said train meshing with the teeth ofsaid nut, and means for rotating the first vgear of the train and forpreventing rotation of the housing.

4. Stoker mechanism comprising a ram-operating member having a, threadedportion; a nut on said portion providing a first abutment; a stop onthemember providing a second abutment spaced from the first abutmentlongitudinally of the member; a crosshead slidably mounted on theram-operating member between said first and second abutments andadapted, when moved in one direction, to engage the first abutment andimpart motion to the ram-operating member and, when moved in theopposite direction, to engage the second abutment and impart motion tothe ram-operating member in said opposite direction; means providingspaced parallel guideways at opposite sides of the ram-operating member;guide members slidably supported in said guideways and supporting thecrosshead; means for imparting reciprocatory motion to said crosshead;and means for selectively varying the po sition of the first abutmentlongitudinally of the ram-operating member, said means comprising gearteeth formed about the periphery of said first abutment, gear means bywhich said abutment may be rotated relative to the threaded portion ofthe ram-operating member, and means for operating said gear means.

5. Structure as specified in claim 4, wherein the first abutment may bemoved along the threaded portion of the ram-operating member a distanceequal to the travel of the crosshead,

whereby th travel of said ram-operating meme iber may be selectivelyvaried from zero to an amount equal to the travel of the crosshead.

6. Stoker mechanism comprising a ram-operating member; a pair ofabutments carried by and spaced longitudinally of said member; acrosshead slidable along the ram-operating member between said abutmentsand adapted, when moved in one direction, to engage one of the abutmentsand impart motion to the ram-operating member and, when moved in theopposite 10 direction, to engage the other abutment and impart motion tothe ram-operating member in said

